Sliding window for railway-carriages and the like.



No. 826,374. PATENTBD JULY 17, 1906.

o. s. sNELL. sLIDING WINDOW IOR RAILWAY GARRIAGES AND THI: LIKE APPLICATION FILEDl JULYZI. 1905.

2 SHEBTS-SHEBT 2.

72,50 7.' Zdt/- UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SCOTT SNELL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

To all whom it may concer-n.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES SCOTT SNELL, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 53 Victoria street, Westminster,`London, S. W., England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sliding Windows for Railway-Carriages and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a sliding window which shall be easily raised or lowered and maintained in position without the necessity of perforated straps and studs, catches, detents, and the like.

My invention consists in a sliding window connected to counterbalance -weights by means of cords or straps passing over one or more rollers formed so that during the rotation of the roller or rollers the weight is caused to assume positions of balance and unbalance alternately, whereby the window has intermittent positions in the course of its travel.

In carrying out my invention I make use of the usual window running in suitable recesses in the door-frame and attach thereto, after the manner of the usual leather liftingstrap, a strap of webbing or other suitable material which passes over a roller and carries a weight to counterbalance the weight of the window. This window runs in recesses or is otherwise grooved and steadied to prevent swinging. The roller is so formed that the exact counterbalancing effect of the weight is disturbed at certain points in the course of its rotationfwhereby although it may assume positions of equilibrium it offers a certain amount of resistance to displacement from these positions. The roller and balance-weight are so arranged that vibration does not affect the equilibrium, yet a steady force applied by hand is suHicient to raise or lower the window. To this end the roller is made of practically triangular or pentagonal section. Any form of unequalsided polygon section ma be used,'however, the corners being prefera 1y rounded off.

It will be seen that in the course of rotation the weight and the window actin on opposite sides of the roller-axis are a ternately acting at different radii. The application of a continuous force is therefore necessary to give motion to the window and vibration has no effect upon it.

The window at the upper end has a suitable attachment to enable the user to lift or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iled July 21, 1905. Serial No. 270,731.

Patented July 17, 1906.

lower it; but the strap being kept out of sight there is Vno other accessory, and no special knowledge or instruction is necessary to operate the window.

While one simple counterweighted strap is herein referred to and described, it is obvious that the counterweight might be divided into two parts and two straps and two rollers might be used, these being placed at or near the sides of the window. This would be convenient in cases where a window when closed is in its lowest position and is opened by raising it.

I may arrange other details of the sliding window differently without in any way departing from my invention.

The better to explain my meaning reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of one type of railway-carriage window or a window for a door in a horse -'drawn closed carriage constructed according to my invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 diagrammatically illustrate the action of the roller. Fig. 4 shows the invention applied to a window with one balanceweight. Both Figs. 4 and 5 are of course merely diagrammatic.

Referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that the window W slides in the usual channels and is supported in position by the effect of the counterweight W2, to which it is connected by the strap A, which passes over the roller The counterweight is boxed in by a suitable panel C, and the roller may be protected from public access by any convenient guard D, which may also provide bearings for the roller.

So far there is nothing materially novel in the described construction; but I will now explain'the peculiar feature of the invention, which lies in the shape of the roller R, whereby vibration fails to change the level of the window, which would occur if the roller was truly cylindrical or even elliptical. In either of these latter cases, even if the rollers be held rigid, a creeping action over their surfaces may occur under the influence of vibration.

By the use of the roller illustrated-a pentagon-it will be seen that the strap in con- .forrning to the section of the roller is, as it were, folded over angles, whereby a gripping power on the roller is insured. Hence any movement of the window necessarily insures movement of the roller 3 but the roller in the IOO IIO

course of rotation changes its radius. Thus when in the position shown in Fig. 3 it is obvious that the radius R is less than the radius R2, and if the weights W and W2 be equal there will be a tendency to automatic settlement into the position shown in Fig. 2, in which both radii are equal and equilibrium is established. Thus vibration if it tends to produce temporary change of position meets with a resisting force tending to restore the position. The explanation given above applies also to any other section of roller which involves an uneven number of sides, but the fewer the faces, as in a triangular section, the greater the resistance to a change of position, and the greater the number of sides the less the said resistance.

Where few sides are used, the angles pro duced become acute, and the edges may then with advantage be rounded oil", also, if desired, the sides may be slightly curved instead of straight lines.

`Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A sliding window for railway-carri ges and the like, comprising in combination, a frame sliding in suitable channels, means counterbalancing said frame, flexible means connecting said frame to said counterbalancing means, and a polygon-shaped roller carrying said frame and counterbalancing means, said roller having an uneven number described.

3. A sliding window for railway-carriages and the like, comprising in combination, a polygonshaped roller, a sliding frame, a counterbalance-weight, and a flexible connection between said frame and said weight, as and for the Apurpose described.

4. A sliding window for railway-carriages and the like, comprising in combination, a 5o frame sliding in suitable channels, means counterbalancing said frame, flexible means connecting said frame to said counterbalancing means, and a polygon-shaped roller carrying said frame and counterb alancing means, 5 5 said roller having an uneven number of sides, and a guard rotecting said roller, substantially as and or the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presencel of 6o two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES SCOTT SNELL.

Witnesses:

H. D. JAMESON, A. NUTTING. 

